Trump Orders Withdraw From the World Health Organization

President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).  The move, which drew criticism from public health experts on his first day back in the White House, was not surprising.

During Trump’s first presidency his administration formally began a withdrawal from WHO. Four years ago, then-President Joe Biden stopped U.S.’s exit from the United Nation’s health agency.

Monday’s executive order states the “organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states,” as reasons for the withdrawal, CNN reported. The president also said the WHO had failed to act independently from the “inappropriate political influence of WHO member states” and required “unfairly onerous payments” from the U.S. that were disproportionate to the sums provided by other, larger countries, such as China, Reuters reported.

WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go.

The U.S. was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other Member States, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and executive board. 

The executive order begins a year-long notice period for the U.S. to leave WHO and stop financial contributions, but CNN reported funding could stop sooner than a year. The U.S. is the WHO’s largest financial supporter, contributing about 18% of its overall funding, Reuters said. WHO’s budget for 2024-2025 is US$6.8 billion.